Letters from the Corrugated Castle by Joan W. Blos

Author:Joan W. Blos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 2008-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

It is some time since I have written to you and even now I can hardly bear to take up my pen.

Miguel, who called me Eldora-Eldorado, is dead. He was at Roaring Springs, the mining camp where Luke stayed with his Mr. Higgins. Miguel was shot in the back. A miner who believed him to be an escaping thief killed him but any one who knew Miguel would know this could not be true.

Aunt is the one who wrote to tell me about Miguel, and Uncle also wrote, but I have had no word from Luke. When I received the letters from Aunt and Uncle, I wondered why I had not heard from him. I think it is still too new for Luke, and hard.

As you see, I am only now writing to you.

Aunt’s letter and Uncle’s were in the same envelope. Although intending to do so, I have not written to them since coming here and was filled with remorse and regret when I saw their dear and familiar handwriting. Imagine, then, how I wept when I read their letters. I read them one after the other and since then have read them so many times I know the words by heart. But I still do not believe what has happened, not all the way.

When I told my mother that my friend Miguel had been killed, she got up from her desk and, without saying any thing, led me into the garden.

That morning it was very beautiful there and nobody was about, not even Alberto, who was working elsewhere. My mother said she had hoped that I would not have to know about such terrible happenings—that people can kill one another for poor or foolish reasons or for no reason at all or because they think justice is being done—and that bad things happen here as elsewhere.

I remembered that if my mother heard others start to tell me about such bad things she would say, in Spanish, “Do not frighten the child.” But I could understand anyway.

Now I know the worst thing that can happen and every one is being kind to me, but it does not help because they did not know Miguel and they cannot be sad with me.

Some times, when I think about Miguel being killed, I hate California and the mines and the miners (except for Luke’s Mr. Higgins) and the gold that can make people do such things to one another.

In her letter Aunt said that she and Uncle have visited Miguel’s family. I would like to be able to see them too, especially Lucia. I do not know if Miguel’s family can read very much but maybe I will ask my mother to help me write to them in Spanish. My mother has been gone most of this week but maybe, when she comes back, I will ask her.

Since Miguel was killed, I am scared to be here and I am scared for my mother to be away. When I told her that I was scared, she said I should not worry.

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